Funding hearings set for Race Riot Memorial

Updated:
Thursday, December 20, 2001 12:00 AM EST

After 80 years, victims of the 1921 Tulsa race riots may finally have a place to tell their story.

City leaders are considering a proposal from Mayor Susan Savage that draws from several third-penny sales tax projects. Extra money from 1991, '96, and 2001 adds up to more than a million dollars, enough to start a race riot memorial and museum.

The 1921 Race Riot Commission voted unanimously to renovate the Vernon AME Church, one of the buildings left standing after the attacks. Now Mayor Savage is asking the city council to move some capital savings from several different projects to a new account for the memorial. The money is just a beginning for a project that could cost as much as $30-million. Julius Pegues: "It will give us a jumpstart, because there are people who may contribute, but the first question that they ask is, "What has the city done?"

The city council must hold a series of public meetings before the changes to the capital fund can be approved. That's when you'll have a chance to voice your opinion about where the money should go.